


Reunion

by Secretlyademigodinthetardis



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Castiel left them, Haven't seen each other in 5 years, M/M, Mild Smut, Sam graduating Berkeley, Sam is Dean's son, married au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-06
Updated: 2014-04-06
Packaged: 2018-01-18 09:14:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1422703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Secretlyademigodinthetardis/pseuds/Secretlyademigodinthetardis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His parents.</p><p>Both of them.</p><p>In the same place.</p><p>For the first time in five years.</p><p>If this day went off without a hitch, Sam would eat his diploma.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Today is the Day

**Author's Note:**

> It's been 5 years since Castiel walked out on Dean, and both of them are still hurting. Sam is graduating from Berkeley, and he wants both his parents to be there. Will they reunite?
> 
> Of course they will, this is a Destiel fic..

This was it. This was the day. Sam was finally graduating from Berkeley, and he couldn't be happier.

Except…

His stomach twisted with anticipation as he thought about who was coming to see him graduate.

His parents.

Both of them.

In the same place.

For the first time in five years.

If this day went off without a hitch, Sam would eat his diploma.

* * *

Dean grunted as he struggled with the reluctant tie. It was bad enough that he had to be stuck in the same hotel as Cas, and now Sam was telling him he had to wear a freaking monkey suit too?!

He was proud of his son. No, really. Sam was the first Winchester to attend college, and Dean paused to let himself appreciate just how hard his son had worked for this.

He continued to fix his tie, refusing to dwell on memories of smooth, long fingered hands, and of doing this for someone else after a morning spent lazily kissing and tracing the other's body. Memories of deep blue eyes and messy hair, and a deep throaty voice that went straight to his groin. Memories of constantly sighing as he fixed that idiot's tie for him for the millionth time, suspecting that he put it on backwards deliberately.

Fucking trench-coated smarmy dick.

Tie and battered suit finally presentable, Dean made his way out the door, focusing solely on the fact that he was seeing his son graduate that day.

* * *

Castiel frowned as he looked in the mirror, carefully attempting to readjust his tie before giving up and letting it remain distorted. It wasn't that he couldn't do his own tie, he just couldn't do his own tie  _properly._

Dean had always done it for him, so he'd never needed to know how. And now he was wearing one for the first time in five years,  _and he had no idea what he was doing_.

He missed Dean. But Dean was better off without him, Castiel knew. Dean, with his bottomless green eyes and blonde hair and leather jacket and – Castiel cut the thought off before he let it get away from him. He hadn't seen Dean for five years. He would see him today, be polite and distant, and once he had properly seen Sam off before his stepson went away to Europe with Jess, he would go back to his apartment in Colorado and continue with his job.

At the local Wal-Mart.

When had his life gotten so miserable?

 _When you left Dean,_  his mind whispered.

 _It was better that way,_ he argued with himself,  _Dean is happier now. And today is Sam's day. Do not spoil it for him._

He scowled once more at his reflection before leaving the room, hugging his well-worn trench-coat to himself.

* * *

Sam strained his eyes to see his father and ex-stepfather as he sat in the crowd. Looming over everyone even when sitting, it wasn't difficult for him to pick out Dad sitting uncomfortably in a suit that looked like it hadn't seen the light of day since…..wait, was he wearing his  _wedding suit_? Did the guy own no other suits? Sam wasn't surprised, and when Dean caught sight of him looking over, his frown disappeared and his face lit up as he waved excitedly, almost knocking the hat off the woman next to him. Dean didn't notice her scowl though, and Sam grinned and waved back before casting his eyes around for Castiel.

He saw him a few rows behind Dean, who was fortunately not within his line of sight. Sam's smile grew as he saw that Castiel had his ridiculous trench-coat on over a dark navy suit with – predictably – the tie lopsided and done wrong. Sam's heart twisted as he noted that it was the tie that Dean had picked out for Castiel for their wedding – which had happened when Sam was five – and was probably still the only tie Castiel owned, given that he had generally worn Dean's old band shirts and loose pants or, to go to work, a formal shirt and pants.

He wishes he could've spoken to Castiel more after he had left Dean. Despite the fact that he wasn't Sam's biological parent, he had been more of a parent than Sam's real mother, who had abandoned Dean when Sam was born and never bothered to contact them again. Dean had raised Sam by himself right up to when Sam was 3, until meeting Castiel at the garage where he (still) worked and co-owned with his father, Sam's Grandpa Bobby. They'd gotten married two years later, and a few months after Sam had left to study architecture, Dean had called him up out of the blue. The man had told him that after a particularly loud and heart-breaking argument, Castiel had walked out, and a week later he was gone, living in Colorado.

Sam had called his stepfather and demanded answers. Castiel had only replied with "It's better this way, Sam. Your father will be happier without me."

"Bullshit!"

"Language, Sam. We've discussed this."

"Dean's a mess! How could you do this to him? To me? You, Dean and Bobby are the only family I've got!"

There had been a pause.

"You'll always be my family, Samuel Winchester"

"Winchester-Novak," Sam had corrected, heart twisting as he recalled the day he begged Dean and Cas to change his last name to incorporate both of theirs.

"Winchester-Novak," Cas agreed sadly. "We argued far too much, your father and I. He deserves a lot better than what I have to offer him, and he needs to accept that. But Sam, no matter what has happened between I and Dean, I will always think of you as a son, and I hope you will still think of me as a father figure and call me when you feel like you require with assistance."

"Of course, Cas. How could I not?"

"Thank you, Sam"

And he had hung up, leaving Sam to stare at the receiver before calling his father.

"He's never coming back, is he," a resigned voice answered the phone.

"….."

"It's okay, Sammy, I get it. I'm fine. Look, call me once a week and let me know how college is, okay?"

"Dad, I – "

"Gotta go, Sammy, got work to do"

" _It's 10 at night there, Dad!_ " Sam had yelled at the phone before realising Dean had hung up.

If only he'd known what Grandpa Bobby told him later, that Dean had spent the next week holed up in the empty house, drinking himself into a stupor. Bobby had stopped by and found Dean unconscious in a puddle of vomit and driven them straight to the hospital, without telling Sam or Cas – out of fear of worrying Sam, and feeling that Cas didn't deserve to know what Dean was up to now.

"Idjits, the pair of them," he'd said once they'd shared their stories of what had happened a year later, when Sam was visiting on his study break and Dean was working. "They work better together. Dean's not the same without him"

And it was true. Sam could tell, looking at his parents, that they were both miserable, albeit too proud to admit it. Dean's sadness hung right behind his eyes and his overly cheerful smile, and Castiel was hunched in on himself subconsciously, looking up only to look directly at Sam and give a cautious wave and smile. Sam waved back, smiling to let Castiel know just how happy he was that he had attended.


	2. Hello, Dean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second bit of my twoshot thingy.

The ceremony was over, and everyone was milling around, families gathering for hugs and congratulations. Sam pushed through the crowd, catching a glimpse of Jess as she stood with her parents. Their eyes met, and he sent her a smile filled with love before continuing to search for his parents before they found each other.

"Sammy!" A strong arm wrapped around him, and he looked down, smiling.

"Hey, Dad. Wedding suit? Really?"

Dean grinned, although there was still the permanent touch of sadness in his eyes.

"Yeah, well, never needed another. Why bother? It's not like I'll ever date again"

Sam ignored the pang in his heart as he thought of Dean, alone in their old house, refusing to move on and simply moving between the only three rooms he ever used – kitchen, bathroom, and the bedroom he used to share with Cas – like a ghost. He gave his father a one-armed hug, having to bend down slightly, before straightening up.

"So…have you seen him yet?"

A shadow passed over Dean's face.

"No, and I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I left for the hotel a bit early so I can avoid that pompous – "

"Hello, Dean"

* * *

Dean's heart stopped and his stomach dropped, blood rushing in a decidedly downwards direction at the sound of that voice.

How could it still have that much power over him after five years of ignoring, and being ignored in return?

Clenching his jaw determinedly, he turned around and faced his ex-husband.

"Castiel," he said curtly, before attempting to head in the opposite direction.

Sam grabbed his arm.

"Dad, wait. Can't we just be polite? Please? Just for today," he begged, remembering the shouting match the two had had down the phone just before Castiel had moved to Colorado.

Dean gritted his teeth even more before grounding out a reluctant "fine", which contrasted heavily with Castiel's "Yes, Sam".

"Sam, I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of you. You have achieved so much, and I hope you enjoy your trip to Europe. I only regret that we were unable to communicate with one another more. However, know that no matter what you do, your father and I will remain incredibly gratified that the boy we raised – "

"Don't you fucking dare think you can speak for me, you ignorant ass," Dean burst out, unable to think straight anymore. How dare he, how fucking dare he, waltz in here like nothing had happened, like he was still there for Dean and Sam, when he'd just left at the drop of a hat?

He said as much, glaring at his ex-husband, tears that he hadn't shed since the night Bobby had taken him to hospital and he'd had to tell his father that  _someone else had left him_  threatening to spill.

"You arrogant son of a bitch. You think you can just come back here and act like nothing happened, like you still have a claim on Sam, on me? You left after promising me you would never leave, and you didn't look back. So don't you dare, don't you  _dare,_ think you can talk to  _my son_  like that, because you threw away the right to do that when you threw me away."

Sam was frozen, looking between Dean, who was clenching his fists in an effort not to cry there and then, and Castiel, who was stuck in place, looking at Dean like he was terrified.

"Dad – Cas – can we, uhh…everyone's looking at us. Crap. Can we go somewhere more private?"

"I think that would be best," Castiel finally managed to say evenly, not taking his eyes off Dean

Dean could only dig his nails further into his palms, struggling between punching Castiel in his stupid, gorgeous face, and collapsing on the spot.

* * *

One of the rooms in the graphic design building was unlocked, and the trio found themselves in there. Sam observed as his dad and stepfather stared at opposite walls, resolutely ignoring one another.

"Look, you-" He began, but Dean cut him off.

"Seriously, why am I still even here?"

"I would assume that it was because you wished to see your son graduate, before he left for another continent, Dean. As usual, you're letting your anger cloud your judgement, and that never ends well for anyone. Remember how much it cost to repair the dry wall?"

"Don't start that shit again, Cas," Dean said exasperatedly, shaking his head.

"I'm just saying, you have a history of allowing yourself to become unreasonably angry, and-"

"Just...shut up. You can't say shit about me or my life anymore. You fucking left me, man"

"And it was for the best. You are obviously a lot better off without me, and I can see that it was, indeed, a mistake to come here today and destroy your happiness with my presence."

"Wait, you think I'm happier now? You think I'm better off without you?"

In the pause that followed, Sam quietly left the room, looking for Jess.

"Are you not?"

"I was a fucking mess, Cas. I still am. I…..I suck at this shit. You left me. Everyone leaves me, and I'm used to it, but you…you leaving me was the worst. My mom left me and my dad. My girlfriend left me when Sammy was born. Sammy eventually left for college. And then you, the one person I thought I could count on to stay with me forever, you left too. The only person I have now is my freaking dad, and he doesn't even live in town anymore." Dean let out a hollow, bitter laugh. "I'm alone in a house that I only see three rooms of. You think I'm better? Go fuck yourself. And fix that fucking tie, I don't know how many times we went through that." He turned to leave, but Castiel spoke, and something in his voice made Dean stop in his tracks.

"Dean, I…..we fought, so much. I thought – mistakenly, apparently – that you would be happier without me, that I was holding you back from finding someone who truly deserved you. You and Sam are the only people I was ever comfortable with, and being with you will always be the best thing to ever happen to me. I'll never forget it. I genuinely thought…..did you ever find someone? I'm sorry, I forgot to ask."

Dean turned on the spot slowly, eyes fixing on Cas, the tears from earlier making a violent return – but for a different reason.

"There was never anyone else, Cas," he whispered.

And that was it. Castiel took a wary step forward, then another, then another, until he was standing in front of Dean, in his 'personal space' –

_Dean laughed, batting away the wandering hand._

" _Personal space, Cas. Trying to make your dinner here," he protested, green eyes twinkling at his new husband over his shoulder._

_Castiel smiled, hands still slowly working their way down to Dean's waistband as he stood behind him._

" _Oh, I'm sorry, am I distracting you?" He teased whispering the words into Dean's ear like they were a secret only for him._

_It was too much for the mechanic, who quickly spun round, grabbed Cas, and pinned him against the wall._

" _Only a lot," he breathed, before his mouth claimed the smaller man's._

_Needless to say, dinner was late that night._

\- and Dean couldn't bear it anymore. Desperately, frantically, he reached out, hauling Cas towards him and crashing their mouths together like it was the only thing that kept him alive. Cas kissed back greedily, five years of celibacy taking their toll as he groaned and pulled his ex-husband even closer. Dean pulled away slightly, staring into Cas' eyes like he wanted to drown in them – which, in fact, he did.

"It was always you, Cas", he murmured brokenly. "Can't have anyone else. Never tried. Always you"

His words were swallowed by Cas' mouth, which he eagerly licked his way into, drawing out deep, guttural moans from the trench-coat wearing man.

"Dean, I…" Castiel gasped out as Dean's lips made their way to his neck. "Only you, only ever—" He bit off a cry as Dean suddenly bit into his neck, nibbling and licking until a bruise was brought to the surface of his skin.

He looked Dean in the eye, foreheads pressing against one another as they breathed heavily.

"I love you, Dean Winchester. I never stopped."

"Winchester-Novak," corrected Dean. "Like yours. Castiel Winchester-Novak….I've loved you since the day you walked into my garage, you ass, and I can't….I can't lose you again. Come back to me. Please, don't leave me again"

These last words were filled with pleading, and Castiel stared into Dean's eyes as he answered, "Dean, of course I'll come back to you. I'm so sorry, Dean"

Dean's eyes were drawn to Castiel's left hand, which still bore the wedding ring he'd given to him so many years ago. He wordlessly held up his own hand, which still had his wedding ring on it, and rested it against Castiel's face, letting him feel the warm metal. Castiel took a stuttered breath, placing his hand over Dean's to keep it there as he vowed, "I'll never leave you again, Dean"

And with that, they kissed one another hungrily, until they were so entangled with one another that it was impossible to tell where one man ended and the other began.

Sam, walking past later, thought it prudent to ensure that the door was locked, judging by the sighs, sharp cries and breathy moans leaving the room, as well as the handprints that had been slammed against the steamed up door.

FIN


End file.
